The Taj - and other places

 March 21st - Friday

We left Ranthambore at 9:00am heading for Agra. Along the way we drove on a recently opened privately run expressly, which was quite the experience.  Tuk tuks and motorbikes are not allowed and there were no cows. This meant the speed limit on the smooth 4 lane road was 120, quite an improvement on the normal 80. Jeet did say it costs 4 times the Government toll roads, but it was much better.

After about 2 hours we stopped at Chand Baori stepwell. I had wanted to see this for many years and wasn't  disappointed.  It was built around 900BCE and is 30 metres deep with 13 levels of steps, making it one of the oldest and deepest in India. There was fencing around the top stopping you from walking down, but that meant nobody was in our photos so it was probably better.

A few more hours down the road we came to Fatehpur Sikri. This group of buildings was originally a city and dates to the 1500's. The red sandstone of the buildings looked quite amazing and was still in very good shape.  Nearby was a mosque complex which we also looked around.

Finally it was time to go to Agra. The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays so the plan was never to go inside today. We did however go to a lookout point known for good sunset views. The lookout was across the river from the Taj and certainly provided a great way to view it for the first time.

Jeet had asked us if we liked kebab, which of course we do. He took us to get some for dinner and we were in for a shock. Thinking kebab we were expecting a small takeaway place and basically street food. We were however directed to a restaurant door and were greeted inside by a concierge who asked for our name before we were seated. We felt very underdressed! We ordered chicken kebab which turned out to be about six chunks of chicken under a yoghurt based spiced sauce.  It was very tasty and very nice and also the first meat we have eaten since we arrived in India.

March 22nd - Saturday 

A very early morning as we planned to be at the Taj Mahal soon after it opened at 6:00am.  Jeet had suggested getting a guide for the Taj, the first time he had made such a suggestion.  The guide arrived around 6:10 and we walked from our hotel to the entrance. We had chosen this hotel as it had views of the Taj from the rooftop, but as we arrived after  dark and there were no lights on the Taj, we couldn't see it, so didn't realise we were so close.

Security was quite tight with X Ray machines and pat downs, but all of that was understandable.  Once inside there is a  courtyard and a large red sandstone gate to walk through.  The Taj Mahal then stands out at the far end of gardens with several long ponds.  The building is stunning and - obviously - made of marble.  The marble is Indian but the inlaid stones that adorn the building are from many different countries including South Africa and several Asian countries.

Our guide provided a large amount of information regarding the building of the temple but really proved his worth by taking Tracy's mobile phone and taking photographs.  He seemed to know all the best spots and angles and was fairly forceful in moving people on if they were in his way.  He was also able to take many photos of the two of us with the Taj in the background, Very handy as with the amount of people there we would have struggled with selfies.

As we moved closer to the Taj we were able to see the detail involved, with carvings and the inlaid stones mentioned earlier.  It really is a stunning building and very clever in that the marble takes on different colours depending on time of day and also during the Full Moon.  The four minarets are all angled about 2 degrees outward, so in the event of an earthquake, they would not fall on the building itself.  Pretty clever for the 1600's I think. The cost to build it was, in todays dollars, around 837 Million USD

The building is a musoleum built by Shah Jahan for his 3rd wife, Mumtaz Mahal. His first two wives were arranged marriages, whereas his marriage to Mumtaz was as a result of love (at first sight). As it is, both he and Mumtaz are interred and we had paid extra (less than $4) to visit the mausoleum.  The queue was quite long and it took us about 30 minutes to get inside.  Photos were not allowed, but there were more beautiful inlaid stones and intricate patterned barriers carved from single pieces of marble.

Upon leaving the mausoleum we had a final look at the outside before leaving.  It is hard to compare buildings but havng seen the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, this certainly ranks near the top of the most beautiful buildings I have seen.

We returned to our hotel to have breakfast and checkout, before being met by Jeet and the guide - he never did tell us his name.  We visited Agra Fort with guide still in tow and he again provided commentary and used Tracy's phone camera.  Not as many people here, so he didn't need to be as forceful.  This Fort was built in the 1500's and once had two moats.  The first a typical water filled one, though it was laden with crocodiles, so perhaps not so typical.  The second moat was 'dry' and would have lions and tigers roaming it at night.  The fort was originally about 94 acres but now much of it is closed to the public, used instead by the Army.

The downside of having a guide was that he then took us to a factory/shop where they do inlaid stonework,  followed by a carpet making place. The inlaid marble place uses families who have been renovating/ restoring the Taj Mahal since it was first built and it was interesting to see how all the inlaid stones are done.  Needless to say it is very labour intensive.  Tracy did buy a vase/tea candle holder so I guess it wasn't a total waste.  The carpet factory was, however.  Although the craftmanship is amazing, the styles do not suit our decor, and we didn't buy anything.

It was now time to hit the road for our 5.5hr drive to Orchha, basically a stopver over point, but turned out it had a lot to offer.  As with a week ago I kept an eye on the football,  but unfortunately it wasn't quite as good a game. Also kept an eye on the Chinese GP, which was good with Piastri coming second in the sprint race and then getting Pole for the main race tomorrow.

We made a quick stop at 'Bir Singh Palace' in Datia.  This was a little off the beaten track but was well worth it.  Consisting of over 400 hundred rooms and being 7 stories high, it took almost 9 years to build.  What a shame it was only used for a single night as the Royal family preferred to stay in Orchha - also our destination for the night.

March 23rd - Sunday

Picked up by Jeet at 9:00, we started at Lakshmi Temple - a temple we could see from the balcony outside our room.

There were lots of well preserved paintings on the walls and overall this temple was surprisingly interesting.

The ticket for this temple was fairly expensive, until we realised it included entrance into the Fort and several other  palaces and cenotaphs.  We visited many of these, beginning with the cenotaphs, a group fo 6 separate buildings.  One of the security guards motioned at us asking if we wanted to 'go up'  we did, so he went to get keys to a gate blocking the stairway and then led us upstairs.  The views from the third level were pretty good over the nearby Betwa river, but of most interest were the vultures nesting on top of the cenotaph next door, that we had clear views of.  Of course he expected a tip for opening the gate but we were happy to give him one as we probably wouldn't have even noticed the vultures without him.

From here we went to the Fort and associated Mahal's (palaces)  Again there were some beautiful paintings on the walls, well preserved as they are over 600 years old. We left, after having spent 3 hours viewing all the sights of Orchha, and started the journey to Khajuraho, a short 3 hour drive away, giving me just enough time to follow the Grand Prix as Piastri took the win.

We arrived at our hotel around 3:30 and had decided to have a quiet afternoon and stay in.  Washing, diaries and relaxing was done, though we did manage a short walk around the grounds (18 acres) and up and down the street outside.